Bugatti's Next Target: 310 MPH

Bugatti no longer has access to Ehra-Lessien, VW's high-speed test track. But that won't stop CEO Mate Rimac from pushing even farther.

Photo by: Bugatti

By: Brian Silvestro

Nov 19, 2024 at 10:05am ET

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Bugatti isn't done with setting records just yet. Hot on the heels of the Mistral's 282-mph top-speed run, CEO Mate Rimac says the company is aiming for a new top-speed record: 500 kilometers per hour, or 310 miles per hour.

Top Gear was on hand when Bugatti set the Mistral's open-roof record at the Papenburg testing facility earlier this year, and eyed Rimac conversing with one of the Michelin engineers. The publication asked whether the two were talking about a tire that could eclipse the 500-km/h barrier. Turns out their intuition was spot on.

"That was exactly our discussion," Rimac said. "I figured out that the guys who are here are actually responsible for this kind of high performance and racing tires. And I'm like, 'Can you do this? Can you do that? Where's the limit?'"

Rimac also asked “Can we put the ‘five’ in front of the top speed record?” So, his ambitions are clear.

The Bugatti Tourbillon.

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While Bugatti has yet to release any performance data on its newest car, the V-16 hybrid-powered Tourbillon, we have no doubt it'll have the power and aero capable of reaching the fabled 500-km/h mark. Whether the company has the space to pull off such a feat is another story.

Since being purchased from the Volkswagen Group, Bugatti can no longer access the high-speed testing facility at Ehra-Lessien, where the Veyron and Chiron Super Sports set their 267-mph and 304-mph records, respectively. That means it'll have to go back to Papenburg or turn to a runway like the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where manufacturers like Hennessey and SSC do their testing. Bugatti could also go the Koenigsegg route, and shut down a public road to perform a record run.